Obituary of Alfred Carl Krayer, Jr.

                Alfred C. “Toby” Krayer Jr., a son of St. Petersburg who became one of the city’s business and civic leaders, died Sunday (November 22, 2020). He was 89.

                Mr. Krayer died at Bayfront Hospital, where he had undergone emergency surgery a week earlier. His devoted wife, his daughters and his oldest grand-daughter, a physician, were at his side.

                “Toby” Krayer was born December 7, 1930, the youngest of three children with two older sisters. At St. Petersburg High School, he was a basketball star and was later inducted into the school’s sports hall of fame. He went to Duke University on a basketball scholarship, and he earned a bachelor’s degree in business and economics. After graduation, he served two years in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.

                Upon returning to St. Petersburg, Mr. Krayer started a career in banking and soon joined Union Trust Bank in downtown St. Petersburg. Through a series of bank mergers and name changes, Mr. Krayer rose through the ranks. Meanwhile, he earned an advanced degree in banking from Louisiana State University.

                He also started a family. The young banker courted and married Carole Marie Heiser, who had moved from Ohio to St. Petersburg after college. They had three daughters, who became mothers to six grandchildren. All nine of those descendants also graduated from St. Petersburg High School. One daughter is a teacher there.

Ultimately, Mr. Krayer became president of C&S Bank for Pinellas and Pasco counties. When he retired, he had helped countless businesses and individuals arrange their finances. He also had helped launch the careers of other young bankers who would become prominent civic figures themselves.

Outside the bank, Mr. Krayer was equally active in civic causes and organizations, serving on various boards and fund-raising drives. In 2000, he was named Mr. Sun during the city’s Festival of States and rode with honor in the ensuing parade. When he was 11, Toby decorated his own bike and rode along in that parade, the year his older sister Miriam was crowned Sungoddess.

Mr. Krayer was a member and became commodore of the St. Petersburg Yacht Club, a modest irony given that he was slightly prone to seasickness.

During and after his banking career, Mr. Krayer served prominently on the board of AAA. Similar to banks, local motor clubs were consolidating into steadily larger businesses. Mr. Krayer helped guide those mergers and represented the local units in national AAA circles.

Mr. Krayer is survived by his wife Carole, his daughters Karyn Tash (Paul), Kolleen Kellin and Kathryn Krayer-Zimring (Devin), six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Paul Tash is the chairman and CEO of the Tampa Bay Times. Mr. Krayer was a loving husband and an immensely patient father. None of his daughters can remember him ever raising his voice, even when they gave him cause.

Mr. Krayer was a cheerful extrovert with a genuine affection for people. He was a steadfast friend to many, especially Frank Scarritt. Even after Mr. Scarritt moved to Jacksonville to be with his own daughter, the two spoke every day. They were as close as brothers.

“Smile and the whole world smiles with you,” his wife recalls Mr. Krayer saying. “Weep and you weep alone.”

Because of the pandemic, the family is gathering for a private graveside service at Memorial Park Cemetery in St. Petersburg. The burial will be one day after the 64^th anniversary of his wedding. Mr. Krayer will rest in a blue casket, the color of his beloved Duke Blue Devils.

Instead of flowers, the family suggests that those who are inclined can make a donation in Mr. Krayer’s honor to a favorite charity.